


Preening Day

by agentz123



Series: Who is Donald Duck? [13]
Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Ambiguous Disappearances, Animal Instincts, Dad! Duckworth, Fluff, Frank Be Wilding on Tumblr, Gen, Insecurities, Pre-Canon, S3 Needs to HURRY UP, SHUSH and FOWL, What Ever Happened to Hortense McDuck?!, What Ever Happened to Quackmore Duck?!, aged-down characters, minor character death?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:35:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26405842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agentz123/pseuds/agentz123
Summary: Duckworth never misses a spot during his rounds.
Relationships: Duckworth & Donald Duck
Series: Who is Donald Duck? [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1890283
Comments: 2
Kudos: 64





	Preening Day

It’s been a month since Quackmore and Hortense…well. 

That night they had a normal dinner, and that’s when they should’ve known something was wrong. They were Ducks. Nothing was _ever_ supposed to be normal for them. 

Their dying pleas were to not do this in front of the children, could they at least tuck them in first, could they please give them a last kiss, a final hug, one more ruffle of the head feathers. 

They were stabbed and snatched, their lives engulfed as quickly as one can flip a switch. 

There weren’t even bodies for the funeral. 

***

Duckworth took his trusty duster and hummed as he brushed the microfiber across the bookshelves. He paused once he heard a strange noise coming from underneath the end table. As he crept along, he reached into his vest, unsure on whether to grab the soulscreen or the Ghost-B-GoneTM. He finally reached the table, and he stretched out, snatching off the cloth with a sharp growl. 

Curled up around the back leg was a watery duckling. He immediately softened. “May I ask what is the matter, young master Donald?”

Donald sniffed and swiped at his eyes. He was embarrassed to have been caught crying, and over something _babyish_ , no less. Mr. Duckworth wouldn’t tell Della, would he?

With painful hesitation he signed, “ _Today is --- day._ ” 

Duckworth cocked his head, his left ear raising in confusion. “...preening? Is that correct, Master Donald?”

He nodded, and before he could wipe the dripping snot onto his sleeve, Duckworth had shoved a handkerchief into his hands. “My deepest condolences for your parents. Would you like me to go gather your uncle Scrooge, so that he may preen you?”

“No!” Donald shouted, and immediately clamped his hands on his bill. He quickly signed an apology. 

“There is no need to have fear of judgement. I am merely a lowly servant, here to ensure that you are satisfied.” 

Donald quickly responded with his hands.  


“ _You’re not low_.” 

The butler was quiet for a moment before making a shy offer. “There is something similar old dogs such as myself do to their puppies, especially right after they are born. It is not the same as preening, but what if we gave it the old college try anyway?”

Donald thought for a moment before nodding furiously. 

Duckworth crouched into the small space and managed to pull the child into his lap without bumping into the table. He started taking deep sniffs of Donald’s head and ran his snout through his feathers. Tentatively, he gave a small lick, and immediately all of Donald’s tensed muscles turned to goo. Duckworth continued with more confidence, and soon he had covered the duckling’s entire head. “Would you like me to continue?”

He shook his head, and Duckworth returned him to his original position. As he turned to crawl back out into the open, a raspy sound stopped him. His ears perked up in an attempt to pick out the words trapped in the static. 

“That...that was nice. Thank you, Mr. Duckworth.”

“You are very welcome. Now, lunchtime is in twenty minutes. I expect those wings to be washed up.” 

“Yes, Mr. Duckworth.” 

Donald did not use sign language to communicate with Duckworth ever again.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes I have a Tumblr, and once I stop being a baby about it I will post some of my writings and artwork on there haha. My user is agentz123 if anyone is interested. I barely know how to use it but I will follow back!


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